The Cave
by Frozen Under Winter's Touch
Summary: One cat- sentenced to death for murder. One apprentice- hell bent on finding out the truth. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter I

**Author's Note- My first story, so _please don't murder me in the review section_**

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Stormkit may have been alive for no more than four moons, but he was well aware and absolutely sick of the tales that came from the Queens in the nursery. His brother, Thunderkit, was the exact opposite- he would blunder into the nursery with the other kits when the three Queens began to share a story. Stormkit would often have to confine himself to sit outside in a foul mood until they were done, which took ages.

He couldn't understand how the kits, especially his own brother, found these tails appealing.

It was on a boring, spring day like in which Stormkit, yet again, sat outside the Nursery, his ears flat against his head in annoyance. The soft, floating voice of Petalbreeze, one of the current Queens, followed him outside. He didn't have to hear much of her voice to know that she was yet again speaking of Greenglass the Warrior, who had struck down five warriors with one blow of his paw. It was a story her mother had told her when she was a kit. He was frustrated that these stories were to be passed down forever.

It was that annoyance within him that sent him to do something he'd normally never want to do- visit the Elder's den.

He'd been essentially everywhere in camp. High Tree- where Leopardstar climbed for meetings, though he hadn't seen the dense branches leading to a small cliff where her den was. The Apprentice's den and Warrior's Den were both nothing special, just dens made of mud, branches, and long leaves.

He'd been curious about Redleaf's medicine den, originally, until he gorged on poppy seeds and fell ill. It was never quite the same experience for him after that. Then there was the Nursery, the food pile, and the Elder's den... leaving out the only place he wasn't allowed to go, was forbidden to see until he was much older and on his way to becoming a warrior.

The Cave.

He'd nagged his mother about it for what seemed like forever. The only information she had divulged was that a former cat of Fireclan, who had been taken prisoner a few moons before Stormkit was born. When he pressed her to find out why a warrior of their own clan was being kept prisoner, she denied to speak with him. Stormkit soon put it into the back of his mind, though he was more excited about the feeble knowledge he contained of The Cave than the stories of talented Fireclan warriors.

On this particular day, when the sun was rising fast and warriors were emptying out of camp, Stormkit's annoyance was unusually high. He stalked off from the nursery to the other side of camp, where the Elder's den sat in a large, hollowed out log that could fit five times the size of Stormkit. He yowled his approach, before placing one gray striped paw inside the mouth of the log.

"Ah, another stupid kitten." Grumbled a raspy voice. Stormkits eyes widened as they adjusted to the dark, and focused on a large tabby with yellow eyes, his mouth turned down in a seemingly permanent scowl. "Go on out. We're sure you got lost and are looking for your mother."

"No," Stormkit said, refusing to leave before he even begun. "I came here on purpose."

At that, the head of an elder curled close to the grumpy tabby picked up her head. She had a smooth, tan colored coat and a white underbelly, and though she was now old, her green eyes were startlingly perky. "A kit? Coming to see the elders on their own free will? A miracle if I've ever seen one!"

Stormkit grimaced. "Do not many kits come in here?"

"Not at all." Said the third cat, another female with an all gray coat. Her voice was warmer than the rest. Stormkit was familiar with Stonetail, his mother's mother. "Thunderkit isn't with you, I see." She noted in her old, wise sounding meow.

Stormkit picked his way through the moss and folded his paws underneath his belly as he carefully sat down, the way he'd seen the warriors in camp do when they were talking around the food pile. "I want to ask you something."

The old tabby snorted. "We want lots of things, kit. That doesn't mean we get them."

Stonetail sighed, though it was affectionate. "Ignore Oakdust. He's as rude as he is fat."

The perky cat licked her paw. "Tell us, little kit. What is it you'd like to know?" Stormkit knew her as well- Peachflower. Some of the older kits would always talk about how looney she was, but Stormkit had never seen her act out of the ordinary besides being a little quirky. He had heard that she had a kit in a different clan, but he was sure that must be a rumor.

"I'd like to know about The Cave. What is it? Who is in there? And why won't Mother tell me?" The questions all came out in a rush, falling from his mouth and shocking the three elders.

Peachflower stopped licking her paw and her eyes grew wide. Oakdust stopped scowling to stare at Stormkit with an incredulous look. Stonetail looked very grave.

"Stormkit. You are my kin, but you must not say such things. You should not know about The Cave to begin with. There are dark times in the history of a clan that we try to overlook, but we simply cannot do such things."

"Please!" Stormkit tried. His hope was quickly diminishing. But Stonetail simply shook her head. "You are far too young to know the horrors of that story."

Frustrated, Stormkit fled from the den.

* * *

"Thunderpaw, your mentor shall be Ravenfeather. Ravenfeather, may you train this new addition to Fireclan with the fierceness and fire in which Stonetail mentored you."

Stormpaw watched with pride as his brother skidded over to where the young warrior Ravenfeather had stepped up from where she sat, and the two touched noses. His brother sat next to her, happiness alight in his body. Stormpaw could tell. He was nervous about his turn, though he turned his attention to Leopardstar, who looked down upon them from the branches of High Tree.

"Skywing, please step forwards."

Stormpaw watched Skywing step up. There was an unrecognizable emotion in her eyes that Stormpaw didn't understand. She'd been a warrior since he was born, maybe even longer. She was a perfectly suitable choice.

"Stormpaw, your mentor shall be Skywing. Skywing, the fate of this young apprentice rests in your paws."

Slowly, Stormpaw stood up and padded over to Skywing, their noses touching. He sat down besides her.

He expected the ceremony to be over now, but he was surprised as Leopardstar jumped down from the branch, landing gracefully on the grassy ground. She looked into the crowd of the clan, her eyes solemn.

"We are grateful to Starclan that we are welcoming so many new warriors. We are strong, strong enough. I know that many of you had a hard time accepting me as your leader after Goldenstar's... unfortunate death."

That perked Stormpaw's ears, and his eyes immediately swiveled upwards to Leopardstar. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that there was a leader before Leopardstar assumed the position. He didn't know that that leader had died so recently.

"Let us all be rest assured that no more traitors rest in our camp. We are all loyal to Fireclan above all. What Whitebird has done is an unforgettable, unexcusable thing. Goldenstar was one of the closest confidants I've ever had in my live- along with that, one of the best warriors we've ever seen. At half-moon, the experienced warriors and I will gather at The Cave.

We will sentence Whitebird for what she has done once and for all. We allow her protection, food, comfort, though she has never left The Cave. She murdered one of our own, and she needs to be put to justice. It is long overdue."

Her speech was finished by the howls of cats in agreement, their eyes sharp with a desire, a lust for justice.

As for Stormpaw, watching the chaos unfold, known he had gotten his answer at last.

But something in his stomach stopped him from rejoicing like the other cats. Something in his stomach felt queasy, like this demand for justice was all wrong. He couldn't place his paw on it.

That night, as Stormpaw slept with his brother curled over him in the Apprentice's den, tired from touring the territory, he would dream. He would dream of a twisting pathway through the trees he had just walked through. He would dream of a stone cliff with a ragged drop and a cave smashed in the side. He would dream of dark light, dripping water, and a feline with a coat of pure moonlight, brighter than he'd ever seen.

But as she would turn to face him, her eyes would go dark. Her teeth would grow large, snapping at his neck. The cave would fill with blood and her laugh would fill the air.

_Whitebird._

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**End of chapter one! Expect many updates because I'm really excited to write this story! (also I'd really appreciate reviews, and follow this story to see more!) **


	2. Chapter II

Chapter II

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Stormpaw awoke in the middle of the night yet again, chills racing down his spine, sweat beading at his neck. It took him a moment to get his heart to stop beating out of control, to relax himself into not panicking.

Unfortunately, this woke Thunderpaw, who blinked widely in the darkness. "Stormpaw," He whispered. "Are you feeling alright?"

Stormpaw could barely speak- but he managed to nod shakily. "It's just dreams, Thunderpaw. Don't worry- I'm fine."

"Skywing said that if you had any more of those dreams you had to see Redleaf. You can't keep this up without going absolutely insane."

Stormpaw gasped. "You promised you wouldn't tell!"

"Will you two _shut it." _Came a new voice, hostile. Both brothers whipped around to face Rosepaw, whose dark eyes were narrowed in annoyance. "If you insist on chattering like a pair of chickadees, please excuse yourselves and go outside. It was so much quieter until you two moved in."

With that, she grumpily turned around and folded her tail over her nose.

Thunderpaw gritted his teeth in loathing. "I hate her. We've barely been here for half a moon and she always acts like she has a stick shoved up her-"

"I'll shove a stick up your_ nose_ if you don't shut up." came Rosepaw's reply. "You'll wake the rest of us up."

Thunderpaw muttered something unintelligable that he'd definitely heard from a warrior before curling up as far away as he could from Rosepaw and falling asleep. Stormpaw took the short time in the quiet and dark to get himself together. He needed to stop thinking about the fate of the she-cat in the cave, and he wouldn't have these dreams. He just wish he didn't feel so sick when he should've been celebrating this cat's soon to come death.

He swallowed hard, and wound himself around his brother before trying to fall back into sleep.

* * *

"Rise and shine, sleepyheads. All three of you needed to be outside at dawn, not sun-up."

Stormpaw opened his eyes, which were sticky and heavy. His vision blurred with sleepiness as he stumbled to his paws, clearing as they focused on the face of his mentor, Skywing's, frustrated blue eyes on him. He spotted Ravenfeather waiting in the distance. Hurriedly, he pushed Thunderpaw with his claw.

"Wake up, mouse-brain! We're late!"

Thunderpaw yawned, and opened his mouth to complain. His eyes focused on the angry look of their mentors and decided against it, immediately shooting to his feet.

Rosepaw was already hurrying out of the den, her expression livid, following her mentor, Swallowheart, who was disappointed. "Oh my stars, Rosepaw. Your brother and sister have already left! Do you want to fall behind on your fighting lessons?"

Stormpaw heard them arguing about her being late, and almost cracked a grin when he heard her whining about him and Thunderpaw. He swiveled around to face his mentor.

"It won't happen again." He said in apology to Skywing's frustrated face. "We swear it."

"Good. You two are late again tomorrow, and the only thing you'll be hunting is mouse bile for Peachflower's ticks."

Stormpaw wrinkled his nose at the thought of the disgusting smell of mouse bile. When they were first assigned to tick duty, the stench had made him so dizzy he'd nearly puked, and Thunderpaw had to carry out the work. The mere mention of the word made him feel disgusted. He hated getting sick.

Ravenefather and Skywing led them to the edge of the forest for the two to practice stalking on ground without so many leaves. They both picked up leaping very easily. Thunderpaw could never keep his tail high enough to not drag on the ground and low enough to not wave in the air. He always got too excited to learn and would mess up. Stormpaw, however, was a natural. Hunting felt like second nature to him.

He was great at weaving in and out of trees, being as quiet as a mouse on the forest floor, and leaping from branch to branch like a squirrel.

It was that same tactic of leaping through tree branches that led him to his first and only catch of the day, a squirrel almost as large as him. Even Thunderpaw managed to hook two shrews when they passed by the mud banks on the river diving the territory with Lightclan.

They arrived back at camp at sundown, and both brother's spirits were raised even more as they watched Rosepaw stalk in, empty pawed.

As they curled together to sleep in the Apprentice's den, Stormpaw hoped he didn't dream.

But of course, that was impossible.

His unconscious mind brought him back to that abandoned cliff, back inside the cold, dark, wet cave. Back to the cat, whose silver coat gleamed in the moonlight filtering in from the small entrance. The old events always followed: the evil laugh, the cave filling with blood.

He awakened again in the darkness, panting and gasping for breath. Carefully, he untangled himself from Thunderpaw and slipped out into the cool night air, taking deep breaths in through his nose. Why did this keep happening to him?

He needed to clear his head. He looked to the edge of camp, where two trees guarded the entrance, built up with twigs and mud to form an arch. Two warriors, Silverdust and Hopfoot, guarded it.

He took the path from the elder's den outside into the trees. He needed to get away from the Fireclan camp and let himself breathe for just a few moments.

He hopped over some stones by the den and up the steep ravine side into the trees. The feel of the tall oaks around him made him feel safe and secure, and he didn't stop until he reached the river, glowing a crystal blue in the moonlight, where he breathed in the cold air.

He should go back, he thought. After all, if he wasn't up at dawn tomorrow with his brother, they'd both be scrubbing the elders for a day.

As he turned on his foot to go back the path he had come from the clan, he heard a sound that made his hears perk.

Pawsteps.

Not thinking, he looked around in a panic. If it was a warrior out patrolling and they saw Stormpaw, he'd be in deep trouble. The thought of doing the Elder's ticks for a week sent him into a panic. He was a great climber, so he quickly unsheathed his claws and hauled himself up a tree, scampering up into the branches where he awaited with held breath.

But what he saw emerging form the shadows was not just any normal Fireclan cat. It was Leopardstar.

Eyes wide in alarm, but also a fierce curiosity, he dared to breathe as he watched her spotted coat slink around a tree in a direction he had never gone before. He waited until the coast was clear before dropping down the forest floor, trying to be as silent as possible, though he hadn't yet mastered soundless falling.

His head told him to go right back to camp, curl up in the apprentice's den, and fall asleep before his brother found out he was missing. But he couldn't. He physically couldn't, not when he had just seen Leopardstar acting suspicious.

His heart, which had been practically chasing adrenaline and adventure since he was a kit, couldn't let go of the picture of Leopardstar disappearing into the dark forest. He couldn't stop wondering what she was doing, where she was going, what her task was.

Or more importantly, if she was going to The Cave.

Stormpaw knew it was a serious offense if he were to be caught.

But that was, _if _he was caught.

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**End of chapter two! As always, read and review! Don't be afraid to ask questions, because I will probably do a Q&A at a midway point in the story. **


	3. Chapter III

Chapter III

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Hardly daring to breathe, Stormpaw's mind filled with the small, but very helpful lessons he had endured about being stealthy on the forest floor.

It was the first thing taught to apprentice's at Fireclan. Skywing had explained to him on only his first day of being an apprentice that Fireclan's territory, made up of mostly long, thick oak trees, was good for hiding, climbing, and always full of prey. But it came with it's disadvantages too- the thick layers of vegetation, constant crunch of leaves under your feet from the trees, and scattered twigs and branches take precise skill to be stealthy on.

Even this morning, he was practicing slinking around trees and controlling his tail to not disturb the layers of leaves in the undergrowth. He was better than most apprentice's, sure, but he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that a trained and experienced clan leader wouldn't hear him.

He guess he'd have to find out.

Heart pounding in his ears, he carefully placed one paw in front of the other and padded softly and silently in the direction Leopardstar had gone, trying his best to remain quiet while not losing her in the vast territory. At the sight of her pelt rippling beneath the cover of bushes, he took his time to steady himself and not disturb a single grain of dust on the forest floor until she began to move again.

He followed her for some time, weaving through the dense undergrowth and and underneath brambles that dug into his pelt. He sincerely hoped that his brother remained fast asleep in their nest, so not to wake and panic.

Lost in thought, he nearly stumbled out into an open clearing, and quickly positioned himself quietly beneath another patch of brambles, looking around at his surroundings.

A small, dirt path half made led to a jagged cliff, where a rocky cave stood out in it's surface, like Starclan themselves had knocked a hole into it. The faint sound of a bubbling stream reached his ears- maybe from above the cliff?

Tall oak trees of the Fireclan forest stood on each side of the pathway.

He recognized the place immediately. It was the exact place he was trying to escape from, the exact location in his dream. The exact position of the cave that the cat awaited her fate in.

His stomach rolled. He felt sick, and dizzy.

Was it a sign from Starclan? Were these not dreams, but... _visions?_

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Leopardstar's shadowy shape filtering in and out of view from the edge of the forest, before padding out to the stone. She leaped lightly onto the stone, then jumped up hanging cracks into the ledge beneath the cave, like it wasn't a dangerous expedition but a fun challenge.

Heart beating loudly in his ears, Stormpaw raced after her, not bothering to be silent. His entire life, wondering. What was inside that cave?

He thought he had learned his answer at the apprentice ceremony, but had he really? Or had his dreams hinted at otherwise? He knew one thing for certain- the she-cat with the silver pelt and blue eyes had done something horrible. Why else would she be in his vision, cruelly laughing as the cave filled with blood? The blood in his dream, it had to have signified her killing something.

Or someone.

The name _Goldenstar _rang in his head, but he pushed it to the very back.

He leaped up onto the jagged rocks, barely reaching with his claws. He had to haul himself up the next few with his claws before he could safely hop onto the ledge.

He stuck to the side of the cliff, his small, dark gray body blending in almost perfectly with the outside walls, and carefully peeked inside.

He could barely stiffle a gasp.

A giant cavern, the moonlight from the entrance filtering in in moonbeams. Cone shaped rocks hung from the ceiling, and small dips in the stone floor were filled with water that dripped from the giant cavern. A cat was sitting in the exact spot that Stormpaw dreamed of every night.

Only, she wasn't the same.

He looked at her and had the impression of a once very pretty she-cat, but now looked tired and dirty and older than she should. Her fur was powder white, visible even through the layer of dust that covered her pelt, not silver, though her eyes gleamed the same shade of blue.

In his curiosity, he felt a spark of disappointment. Sure, he didn't know if he was even having visions, but this wasn't even the same cat. Had he gotten it all wrong?

The cat in his dream radiated evil. Her eyes shone with malicious intent. Her body was tight, as if she were tense and poised to spring. But the cat in the cave was the opposite. She slumped down as if she were defeated, her head hung as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her eyes were dull, filled with a type of saddening emotion that Stormpaw couldn't recognize.

Leopardstar padded forwards into the cave, her pawsteps changed from sneaky to bold in a matter of seconds. Her tail lashed behind her like a whip.

"Whitebird," Leopardstar began, her voice barely hiding her disgust. "Your fate shall soon be decided."

Whitebird barely raised her head. "Has it really taken the clan that long to decide if I am to be killed? Where is your sense of justice, Leopardfur?

Leopardstar growled, her teeth snapping into a sneer. "Don't talk as if you still belong to Fireclan. Don't you even speak as if you can lecture me on my senses. And you'd do better to remind yourself that I am Leopardstar, now. Leader of Fireclan, and I decide your fate."

"If you decided my fate, I would have been decomposing in the river, many moons ago. What's really stopped you is that they don't except you. They're still shocked from Goldenstar, aren't they?"

"Don't you _dare_ speak his name!" Leopardstar yowled, and the anger in her voice rang true. "How can you speak as if he never was killed? As if _you _never killed him!"

Leopardstar paced back and forth, her teeth still gritted together. "I came to see if there was any part of you that was redeeming. It is clear to me there is not."

Whitebird didn't say anything to that. She didn't protest, didn't try and bide her time, didn't try and strike up a deal, something any cat in her position would've done. If Stormpaw was in that situation, he'd have tried to fight. A sudden thought hit him hard. Why hadn't Whitebird tried to escape all these moons? There was nothing holding her here, no guards, no thorns, nothing. She could easily hop down the rocks- if Stormpaw could've done it, why couldn't she?- so why wasn't she escaping?

"We used to be the closest friends, Whitebird. What happened to you?" Leopardstar growled.

Whitebird turned her head. "I've accepted what my fate is to become long, long ago." She said in response to Leopardstar.

Frustrated, Leopardstar turned around and began to pad to the exit. "I'll see you the next full moon, with the rest of the warriors you betrayed. Get ready to decide your death, you _monster."_

Stormpaw realized Leopardstar was coming his way. Quickly, he scrabbled up to the ledge on top of the cave- the only spot he could escape to. He just had to pray to Starclan that Leopardstar wouldn't look up.

He watched his leader storm out, not bothering with the rocky cliff but choosing to just leap to the bottom, though she winced when she landed. Quickly, Stormpaw pressed his flank down into the cold rock. When Leopardstar looked back at the cave one final time, the darkness would hide Stormpaw from view.

He waited until he saw her figure retreat into the night before he lightly jumped down from the ledge. He knew he was about to make the most mouse-brained, idiotic decision ever. But he still made it. Unable to hold back his yearning for answers to all his questions, he padded silently into the cave.

Whitebird was seated with her head facing the wall, unaware to his presence. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he cleared his throat, and she immediately whipped around, surprise clear in her eyes.

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**End of chapter 3! **


	4. Chapter IV

Chapter IV

* * *

Stormpaw remembered the time when he was a kit, exploring camp for the first time. He had seen the dip in two rocks that led to a small, hollowed out den, most likely leftover from a fox and burrowed out even wider. He was instantly drawn to it by the scent of the herbs wafting through the air towards him.

He had walked down the small slope into the den, where the smell of herbs were overpowering. A glassy pool of water stretched out in the back, with a large nest of moss and feathers sat. There was a pile of moss growing on some stones outside. But the thing most interesting to Stormpaw had been the dips in the wall and floor, each with their own small pile or bundle of dried herbs, seeds, berries, and flowers.

He had gone slowly over each one, nosing over every bundle. His curiosity stopped him at a larger pile of small, black seeds. For reasons unknown to him, Stormpaw was drawn to these seeds out of all the herbs laid out in front of him. He pawed the pile, and seeds slid across the dirt floor.

He leaned down and lapped up a seed. It tasted sweet, a flavor unknown to him at the time, but went down the back of his throat bitter. He lapped up two, then three, then four, before he started to feel... _weird._

It felt like his body was shutting down. He felt so tired all of a sudden in an unnatural way. His stomach twisted in agony. He remembered being full of fear as he slowly fell to the ground and closed his eyes. After all, curiosity killed the cat.

Stormpaw remembered this all fresh in his mind as he looked at where his curiosity had led him this time. The prison cell of a dangerous cat.

Something about her situation felt off to him, but he couldn't let that cloud his judgement.

"Uh, hi." Stormpaw began, immediately cursing to himself for such a mouse-brained statement. "I'm, uh, I'm Stormpaw."

Whitebird rose to her feat, panic alight in her eyes. "How did you get here? You shouldn't be here, this isn't safe for apprentices."

"I- I followed Leopardstar out of camp. Well, I was out of camp, and I saw her leaving..." He stumbled over his words. In his excitement of following Leopardstar, he had not rehearsed at all what he was going to say.

"What were you doing out of the camp at night? After all that has happened, Fireclan does not even keep a safe guard!?" She sounds angry, frustrated with this fact. Stormpaw gulped, hoping she didn't hear.

"That's actually what I'm here for. The reason I was outside of camp. I've had these dreams-"

"We all have dreams, paw. It's nature."

"I had dreams about you." Stormpaw said quickly, and Whitebird stopped pacing. Her face knit in confusion. "About me?"

"I've asked about the cave since I was a kit. I was bored with everything else happening in camp, but every cat refused to tell me. I didn't know this location, I had no idea what you looked like, but I still had these dreams. So when I saw Leopardstar sneaking out, I got excited to learn." Stormpaw said in a rush. He had a feeling that if he was going to get the answers he was looking for, he'd have to divulge his own information. It was fine by him, there wasn't much to say.

Whitebird sat down again, though her muscles and posture were all tense and alert. "And these dreams...?"

"I dreamed that there was a cave in a cliff and inside was a cat staring at the moon, but when I got closer she started to laugh, and then blood filled the cave..."

At that, Whitebird sighed, closing her eyes. "Of course." She muttered under her breath.

"Wait! There's just one thing I was confused about. Every aspect of my dream seems true, except the, you know, laughing and blood-"

"So? Would you like me to start laughing maniacally and fill this cave with dead rabbits so that you can feel better about having true vision?"

"No- of course not. The only thing that wasn't true in my dream was you. When I dreamed, you weren't in the cave. At least, I think. The cat I saw had silver fur. And I know it wasn't the moonlight's reflection. Sometimes the cave was all dark in my dream." He finished rapidly.

"Silver pelt?" Whitebird asked. There was a flash of something in her face- panic? Fear? - and her face seemed to drain of life. Her body seemed shock. "So, has Starclan chosen you?" She said, more to herself than to Stormpaw, who just watched in confusion. "Has Starclan decided to bring down justice?" She whispered again.

Then suddenly, her head turned sharply to face Stormpaw. "You need to leave," She said, feirceness in her tone. "I shouldn't have spoken to you. Do not return to this place."

"But-" Stormpaw began, hope draining from his voice, but it was clear Whitebird would not longer hear him. She sat in the same position she was in when he first entered, head hung low, paws tucked beneath her.

He turned the other way and ran.

* * *

"That's it. This is the last time you two are late for anything. You're both on mouse bile duty!"

Stormpaw shot up. This had to be a nightmare. Oh Starlcan, please let this be a nightmare...

But the furious glare of Ravenfeather's face seemed all too real. His stomach turned with the thought of mouse bile scent.

Thunderpaw grumbled angrily as he left the den, and Stormpaw followed closely. His mood was ruined even more as he saw Rosepaw sitting smugly by the food pile, with her kin, Featherpaw and Snowpaw play fighting besides her. Thunderpaw's tail lashed angrily, and before he could say anything that would get them in trouble even more, Stormpaw nudged him hard with his nose towards the medicine den.

* * *

It had been two sunrises since Stormpaw had spoken to Whitebird.

Now, he sat to the side of a sandy clearing near the river in Fireclan's territory, watching as Rosepaw and Featherpaw battled, their mentors, Swallowheart and Blizzardeye, hovering over them. The battle ended with Rosepaw holding down Featherpaw, who was too weak to push out.

Rosepaw backed off, her gaze triumphant. "That's the second time this week, Featherpaw. Face it, I'm _loads_ better."

Featherpaw's ginger face scrunched up like a stormcloud, and her tail lashed behind her. "That's just because you always steal the best pieces of food from the food pile. I'd beat you any day when you've stopped being a selfish brat!"

"Hey!" Swallowheart growled. "Knock it off, you two. It's just a pretend fight- _not _your warrior assessment."

The two fell silent, though they were both furiously steaming. Stormpaw felt annoyed all over. It would've been refreshing to see Rosepaw put in her place, but now he'd have to put up with double the pride. The thought of being in the apprentice's den with her for the next sunrises made him want to drown himself in the river. It was more tempting then the thought of being around her.

"But it's true, Swallowheart, and you know it. Nobody can beat me!" Rosepaw boasted. Swallowheart rolled her eyes. Stormpaw guessed that he'd behave like that if he'd had to mentor Rosepaw, too.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it isn't a competition? If you're always that boastful after a fight, you're going to invite some real danger to yourself." Swallowheart explained, as Snowpaw took took his stance against Featherpaw.

"Whatever. Nobody's gonna survive long enough to try and get revenge on this-"

"I'll fight you." Stormpaw suddenly said. The moment the words were out in the air, everyone swiveled to look at him. He didn't back down. He wasn't going to pretend he was better than Rosepaw, she'd been an apprentice for much longer than him. But he knew he could definitely get some blows in. His anger had been slowly building up since he had joined the apprentice's den, and now it had finally exploded.

Rosepaw burst out laughing. "Yeah, right. You'd be out in a heartbeat."

"Why don't we find out?" Stormpaw shot back. "Maybe you're just scared!"

"Me, scared? No way!"

"Knock it off, Stormpaw." Swallowheart said, coming in between the two. "You fighting her isn't going to change anything."

"Why not?" Skywing said, her face thoughtful. "Stormpaw's been working hard the past couple of days. It could do him some good."

The two mentors shared glances. "Alright, let's do it. Stormpaw, you're up."

Thunderpaw's eyes widened. "Stormpaw, you can't!"

But Stormpaw wasn't going to back down now. He padded up to the clearing, anticipation thrumming through his veins. Rosepaw took her stance a few pawsteps in front of him, posed to strike.

And then, they were fighting. Rosepaw lashed forwards and swiped at Stormpaw, catching him in the cheek. He stumbled to the ground but immediately struck back, darting forwards and out of her reach. Without even waiting for a heartbeat, Rosepaw lunged forwards again, and he felt something sharp and painful graze his shoulder.

Claws.

"Rosepaw!" Swallowheart scolded, her voice furious. "No claws in a practice battle, you know better!"

Blood dripped down his paw, but that only made him more furious. He unsheathed his claws, too. If Rosepaw was going to fight dirty, than it was only fair that he would too.

She lunged again, but he sidestepped and hooked under her chin with his claw, landing his first hit. She stumbled backwards, gritting her teeth at the scratch that formed there.

"Stormpaw!" Skywing yowled, her tone disapproving. "It's barely a scratch!" Stormpaw shot back, angrily. He didn't have time to say more, though, for Rosepaw was quickly running at him again. He noticed a pattern. Rosepaw's first move of offense was to lunge at him. It was easy to dart away from, but that would leave him playing defense the entire time she was offending. He had to think of a new strategy then attempting to dodge her.

Springing was her turf. His was climbing.

An idea suddenly came to mind. He could win this battle... could he? Could he really win against a much more experienced apprentice?

It was definitely worth a shot.

"Come on, Storm_kit." _Rosepaw goaded. "Is that all ya got?"

She lunged at him again, claws bared, paws open. It was like slow motion.

He narrowed his eyes, then darted past her and up the strong, tall oak tree by her side. His unsheathed claws hauled him up with easy, and he sprinted across the branches of the foliage, watching as Rosepaw crashed to a halt. As her paws skidded on now empty air, he leaped down, paws outstretched. He landed with force on her upper shoulder blades, sending her falling to the ground. She didn't move.

Stormpaw stepped back, hardly daring to believe it. He... won.

It was silent, then Thunderpaw came barreling into him. "You did it!" He yowled cheerfully. "I thought for sure you were a goner!"

Rosepaw dragged herself up, her face shadowed in fury. Swallowheart flicked her ear with her tail affectionately, and she grumbled and got to her feet, though her tail swung in a livid way.

"Well done, Stormpaw! Thinking of your strengths against your opponents weaknesses was a smart move. I'm proud of you."

Stormpaw grinned, pride alighting his features. "Thanks. It just happened so fast."

"We should get back to camp." Blizzardeye said, his face scanning the sky at the fastly setting sun. "But Stormpaw can have first pick off the food pile tonight!"

Stormpaw and Thunderpaw raced back to camp, happiness alight in their features, as Rosepaw stormily fell behind the rest.

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**Uhm, this was a looong chapter, but a lot of important stuff! I'm also going to include down here in the author's note section the character descriptions, or at least the characters as I see them.**

**Stormpaw-** Gray tabby with darker gray stripes. Green eyes.

**Thunderpaw-** Dark gray tabby with a black striped tail. Green eyes.

**Rosepaw- **Russet furred cat with brown eyes and one white paw.

**Featherpaw- White **furred cat with yellow eyes, white underbelly, and all white paws.

**Skywing- **Tawny tabby with white underbelly and blue-gray eyes.

**Ravenfeather- **All black, lithe tabby with single gray stripe on tail. Yellow eyes.

**Leopardstar- **Spotted tawny colored cat with blue eyes, and dark paws.

**Whitebird- ** Completely powder white fur, dull, once sparkling blue eyes.

**Swalllowheart- **Dark brown and russet striped tabby, yellow eyes.

**Blizzardeye**\- Named after his one, bright blue eye. White, with gray speckles along his flank.


	5. Chapter V

**Author's Note- Okay, I honestly didn't expect to get any reviews. I still have no hecking clue how this whole fanfiction thing works. I feel like a whole genius just for getting a profile picture up, and there are already four people who've seen this and liked it enough to review! I'm just really excited about that, haha. **

**Anyways, here's chapter five!**

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Chapter V

Stormpaw padded out of the apprentice's den one sunrise to see some of the senior warriors following Leopardstar up High Tree. Stormpaw felt confused. What was the need for a clan meeting?

Curious, as he always was, he padded forwards enough so it would look like he wasn't completely trying to follow them, and strained his ears enough to hear the whispers of Blizzardeye to another warrior named Sundusk. "Do you really think that Leopardstar will go through with executing or exiling Whitebird?" He muttered in a hushed tone.

Stormpaw felt his stomach roll over like it always did when he heard about Whitebird. He had been scared of her, at first. But now he just felt sorry for her. He knew it was morally wrong to feel bad for a cat that murdered their old leader, but something about the whole scenario seemed off to him.

For a moment, he wondered if he should've taken things into his own hands. After all, he had been having visions... right?

He walked out of the camp to the dung area, padding by the Elder's den, when a familiar voice stopped him.

"You, young paw. Come here."

Stormpaw turned around, to see Oakdust, the grumpy old elder, leaning out of the Elder's log. His large eyes gave away nothing about what he was really thinking, as usual, but Stormpaw detected some urgency in his voice.

If he were Thunderpaw, he probably would have kept padding onwards, but most of the clan was not yet awake, and Stormpaw felt obligated to help. Reluctantly, he padded over.

"What's going on?" Stormpaw meowed in greeting. The elder rolled his eyes. "I'd appreciate a little more respect, but this isn't the time for that. Go fetch me a ball of moss for Peachflower."

Stormpaw scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Why would Peachflower need a ball of moss?"

Oakdust moved to the side, and Stormpaw peered in the den to see Peachflower staring blankly at the wall, her claws shredding up her moss nest. Stonetail, his mother's mother, stood by her side, trying to calm her, but it was no use.

"Is Peachflower alright?" Stormpaw asked, worry laced in his voice. He had known from small whisperings of the older apprentice's that Peachflower acted strangely, but he always thought it was just a quirk. This seemed like there was actually something horribly wrong.

"Just get the moss. And hurry." Oakdust said, a hint of panic in his voice, though it was barely detected.

Not questioning the orders, Stormpaw turned on his paws and sprinted out of camp. He knew that the moss rocks in the Medicine Den would have been easier to get, but he also knew it would be wise to not deplete the clan of its medical sources. He did know some rocks by the river that practically reeked of moss, and he sprinted there as fast as his nimble paws could take him.

He used his claws like a scythe to bat some of the dry moss together, then nudged it with his nose across the stone until it resembled a ball. He found a long fern, like a leaf to wrap around the moss, and then carried the bundle in his jaws right back to camp. As he neared, he heard the sound of wailing, which confused him.

Some other warriors were gathered around the Elder's den now, watching with worried eyes.

"Where's that damned apprentice- you. Hurry on over." Oakdust said, his eyes narrowed as Stormpaw sprinted into the clearing. Out of breath, he dropped the pile at Oakdust's paws, who immediately rolled it into a ball more perfect that Stormpaw could've ever hoped to make his. With a gasp, Stormpaw realized the wailing was coming from inside the Elder's den.

He glanced in, seeing Stonetail trying to murmur soothingly to Peachflower, who had her paws crushed over her head and was yowling uncontrollably, her eyes not focusing on a single thing. He watched Oakdust pad inside, drop the moss near Peachflower.

Stormpaw hardly dared to breathe as Oakdust spoke in a rough tone. "Come on, Peachflower. Look, it's moss. Your kits love moss."

Stormpaw felt confused, hearing Oakdust's words. What kits? Peachflower had no kits.

But Peachflower stopped yowling, though her eyes were still not focused. She began to speak in a hushed tone. "Whitekit? Lovekit?" She meowed into the tense air, her voice confused. "Where are they? Where are my kits?" Her gentle voice became more ferocious, and her eyes narrowed in an expression like worry and distrust.

"Where's Lovekit? What have you done with Lovekit?!"

Oakdust quickly rolled the moss forwards until it touched Peachflower's heavily breathing flank. "Peachflower, they're here. Whitekit and Lovekit are in camp. They're playing with the other kits. Can you hear them?" He whispered.

Peachflower's nostrils flared. She stopped yowling again, and her eyes began to focus on the small bundle of leaves. "They're playing. Outside." She repeated.

"Yes," Oakdust began carefully. "Your kits are safe. They're innocent."

The last words to leave Oakdust's mouth made Stormpaw's ears prick. _Innocent? What was that supposed to mean?_

He watched as Swiftleaf, the medicine cat, pushed past Stormpaw with a leafy bundle in his mouth. As Oakdust and Stonetail murmured to Peachflower, he unfurled the leave, revealing small black seeds.

"Peachflower," The older cat called out, his voice soft. "These herbs will help make more milk for your kits, so they can be healthy."

Peachflower's head turned towards him, but her eyes remained glazed. "Milk?" She repeated, her voice sounding airy and confused.

"Here, have some. They'll make you have energy, too, so you can be with Whitekit and Lovekit."

"Okay," Peachflower said dreamily. "I'll take them if it means helping my kits."

Stormpaw watched as she lapped up the small black seeds, her movements slowing as she folded her paws underneath her flank and curled into her shredded nest. "Wake me when the kits are hungry," She murmured to Stonetail. "Promise?"

Stonetail swallowed, her expression forlorn. "Of course I will, Peachflower. I wouldn't want them to go hungry either."

With that, Peachflower drifted to sleep. Stonetail let out a gasp of relief. Oakdust's eyes revealed nothing. The small group of worried warriors visibly relaxed. Stormpaw watched them pad away, muttering softly, leaving camp to go get the morning hunt.

But his mind was racing. He was far, far, far from being relaxed. He knew one thing- those seeds were poppy seeds. Swiftleaf had sedated Peachflower from some sort of mental breakdown. He didn't know why- but he knew this must be what the older kits were talking about when he was still in the nursery.

His mind, still whirring, focused on the names she was calling to. Lovekit, and Whitekit. He'd never heard of a warrior in Fireclan with the name Love. But he had heard of one with the name White. One who would be the right age now.

Whitebird.

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**End of Chapter Five! A little bit shorter this time, sorry about that! More updates are coming in the future, and remember to review and follow the story for updates! **

**Here's a short character description for cats not mentioned in the last chapter's descriptions:**

Oakdust- Dark brown old tabby with silver flecks from old age across his back. Deep voice and big yellow eyes.

Stonetail- Storm/Thunderpaw's grandma, in human terms. Dark gray pelt with green eyes, silver muzzle.

Peachflower- All white tabby with peach fur on top of her head and two peach toned paws. Bright blue eyes.


	6. Chapter VI

**Hey everybody! Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews. They honestly made me cry :). Anyways, sorry this chapter is so long overdue. I had the school finals. Here's chapter 6!**

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Chapter VI

Stormpaw had been restless all afternoon.

After Peachflower's episode, Stormpaw's mind hadn't stopped overflowing with thoughts. He had left knowing that Peachflower was Whitebird's mother. He shivered, thinking of how horribly a cat could break after their kit commits murder.

_Framed, _He reminded himself. But now he was second-guessing himself. He was making an assumption. He had nothing to go off of except a gut feeling. That wasn't enough. He had to talk to Whitebird again. He had too many questions- Did she know about Peachflower? Who was Lovekit?

An unsettled feeling rested in his stomach as he knew he had made his decision. Tonight, he would sneak out. Tonight, he would talk to Whitebird again.

His heart pounded in anticipation later that night, after he had made sure all the apprentice's in the den were silent, untucked himself from Thunderpaw and his's nest, and took the way out of the camp from behind the Elder's den. His body shook with a forewarning as he passed, remembering the events of the morning that had taken place right at that spot. It only pushed him more to find the answers he was looking for.

A memory suddenly washed over him, from when he was a young kit and bored out of his mind. He suddenly felt a cold feeling. Was he chasing the truth, or was he still just chasing a more interesting story?

He couldn't think about his true intentions now. He didn't want to keep himself from going. Once safely outside of the boundaries of the camp, he padded through their territory, drinking in the cool night air and the tall trees. He made his way to the river where he had stood that night before he followed Leopardstar.

From his memory, he traced back the path that he had followed his leader to. He was proud when he emerged into the sandy clearing that the river dried out into, with the familiar rocky cliff ledges and cave in the center.

His paws scrambled on one rock to another, hauling himself up. With the training he had, it was easier- but not drastically so.

He made a lot of noise tumbling into the cave this time, stumbling and unbalanced. He slipped and bumped his nose harshly into the stone ground. From his dazed eyes, he saw Whitebird standing up, her eyes widened with familiarity and alertness. She looked scrawnier than when he had last seen her- if that were possible -and somehow older.

He scrambled up, embarrassed, but shifting the worries away from his brain. Whitebird gritted her teeth from where she stood from the back of the cave. "I thought I said to never come back." She meowed, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

Stormpaw shuffled his paws. "Nobody knows I left." He mumbled. "And besides, I've had more dreams, and... and-"

Whitebird growled. "Dreams cannot save me, paw. Neither can the daft questions of a Fireclan apprentice. I cannot interpret your nightmares for you. You shouldn't even be here."

"Please," Stormpaw said, desperate. "Nobody sent me. I came on my own."

At that, her ears perk up. "Why would you come here?"

"I have so many questions." He said. "I don't care if they say you killed a cat. You wouldn't kill me."

Whitebird looked resigned. "Yet you are so sure of that." She looked away in the dark shadowy corners of the cave as if remembering times long ago. Stormpaw waited until Whitebird blinked to the present before he asked her.

"There's an elder in Fireclan. Peachflower?" He began. Whitebird tensed. "I'm aware." She meowed in response.

"Is she... is she your mother?"

"Yes- my birth mother. I don't think she ever filled the role of a real mother for me, though." She added on.

Stormpaw narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean when you say that?"

She motioned with her tail for him to sit down, after folding her weak legs beneath her thin structure. He followed suit, and she spoke.

"I suppose you know of all the clans?" She began. "And, hopefully, their history with Fireclan?"

Stormpaw nodded. "We're bordered by Iceclan and Lightclan. Earthclan is on the other side of the river. We've always had an alliance with Lightclan, and Iceclan has been fox dung who've tried to attack us."

Whitebird rolled her eyes. "So Fireclan makes Iceclan out to be the bad guys, huh?" She asked, to which Stormpaw gave a confused "huh?"

She continued on.

"When I was a kit, the tensions between Fireclan and Iceclan seemed higher than the way to Starclan. One day, there was a war. Iceclan wanted their territory that we had claimed back once and for all. They teamed with Earthclan and they attacked us in the night."

Stormpaw had heard of this story many times, but all he had gotten was a broad description. He had wondered what had really happened that so many refused to talk about.

Whitebirds eyes were blurred as if she was spent in thought. "There was an apprentice, Rockpaw. He was entrusted to go to Lightclan to demand help, but some warriors must have spotted him before we did. I remember his brother- devastated. He ran off from camp barely a day later." She looked away, and Stormpaw felt a little sick, having a sudden urge to run back to camp and check that Thunderpaw was still safely asleep.

"Every cat was scared for the nursing queens at that time, though. It was Peachflower, and another tabby named Sparktail. She had three kits older than I. Peachflower's brother, Cloudmoon, led the two out of camp through some bushes. But three warriors saw and went to go stop them. Sparktail escaped with her kits, but Cloudmoon was injured in the attack before Peachflower could escape." She stopped for a moment.

Stormpaw remembered something. "I know Cloudmoon- I was told stories when I was younger about how great he was in that war," Stormpaw said, and Whitebird nodded. "He did become a hero after that- he died from infection a week or two later."

Stormpaw bowed his head. "What happened next?"

Whitebird looked at her paws. "I had a sister, Lovekit. We were both scared but we had no idea what was happening when a warrior attacked my mother, the other two grabbed us by our scruffs, and carried us away. The last thing I remember was Peachflower fighting that other she cat."

Stormpaw sat still in stunned silence. He felt horrible. Those stories that he had thought were boring when he was younger. They had lost three cats. He shivered, thinking of the heartbreak that would have been.

"So... what happened to you and Lovekit?"

Whitebird stirred uneasily. "We grew up peacefully and healthily in Iceclan. After a while, we didn't remember the attack. We tried to forget."

"Did you?" Stormpaw questioned. "Did you forget?"

It seemed far fetched. Even if he was a young kit, there are things that you can't forget. Like your nest, or your mother's milk, or playing with other kits in the nursery, no matter how weak or whiny they were.

Whitebird looked at him. "No," She said truthfully. "Lovekit started to, but I couldn't. Fireclan staged three attacks on Iceclan to get us back. They failed the first two times."

She took a deep breath. "I wanted to go back home. Because I thought, _there's no more war. _I can go back and play with my sister and the other kits again and grow up in my clan. But Lovekit didn't want to leave.

When Fireclan tackled the third time, they had some fighters from Lightclan with them. By then we were well guarded, but a warrior made it past and reached for us. He got me and began to run, and inside my head, I was so hopeful. I wanted to go back home. But I loved my sister. I loved her and I couldn't leave her behind. I scratched the warrior and he dropped me and I ran back to Iceclan."

Stormpaw sat, hardly daring to breathe. "They made us apprentices after that. Said we proved our loyalty to the clan." She said sadly.

They were silent- Stormpaw's head spinning. Suddenly, a ray of light spread into the dim cave, and he looked outside to see the sun peeking up over the hills.

Whitebird stood up. "It seems I have kept you too long. You must return back to Fireclan."

Stormpaw got up, his mind still in a spinning whirlwind to do much else. As he paused by the cave entrance, Whitebird called out. "I never caught your name, paw." She meowed.

"Oh," Stormpaw said. "It's Stormpaw."

Whitebird nodded, and he turned around and began to run back to camp.

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**Again, I'm realllllyyy sorry for the late upload. Working on the next couple of chapters, and remember to review, follow, or favorite! **


	7. Chapter VII

Chapter VII

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_"Lovepaw, wanna come hunting with us?" Shouted an apprentice from the entrance to camp. _

_Lovepaw looked up from the mouse that she and Whitepaw were sharing, excitement laced in her eyes. "You don't mind, do you?" She meowed quickly to Whitepaw. "Please?" _

_Whitepaw felt a bolt of disappointment shoot through her, but she didn't let it show, choosing instead to wave her tail affectionately. "C'mon, Lovepaw. You don't have to ask me." _

_Lovepaw raced off to where the other apprentice's were waiting. "See you at sundown!" She cried back to Whitepaw, who suddenly felt self - conscious sitting all alone at the food pile._

_She hastily finished the mouse and scattered the bones, standing up and stretching. She was used to this, of course. Lovepaw had adapted to the cats of Iceclan quickly, and they loved her. Whitepaw was more... quiet. Rather than feel loyal to Iceclan, or Fireclan, she felt loyal to none of them. She felt like a cat who was just caught in the middle of a tug o' war, with no hope of escaping it. _

_Fireclan was where she was born. But Iceclan is where she lived now. Even though she could not forget the sounds of screaming, her uncle's death trying to protect her mother, the blood - curling yowls of pain... _

_Lovepaw had forgotten. Whitepaw had not._

_It was a hot summer's day. She decided to pad down to the river for a while. She took the familiar path down to the riverbank. The familiar trickle of icy water over stones was comforting to her, and she went over to a shallow dip in the river to pad into. The cold water flooded over her paws._

_She knew a lot of cats didn't like the water, but on days like this, it was all she could think about. She looked up, on the other side of the river, to see the stretch of dry sand that led to Fireclan's territory. _

_A pang of guilt washed over her- though she was doing nothing wrong, right? She was just looking... _

_Images of a bloody, torn up campground refreshed in her mind. She was startled as a particularly large robin flew over a head, when a shape came barreling into her, causing her to fall over in the river. Expecting an attack, she jumped up in a fighting stance, ears flattened against her head, mouth forming into a snarl._

_Two cats had appeared in her line of sight- one standing on the bank of sand, probably just having emerged from the thick dense of wood. The other was standing on the edge of the river, scrambling to his paws. _

_"What'd you think you're doing on Iceclan territory?" Whitepaw immediately challenged. The tom had golden, sleek fur, from his head down to his paws, and peculiar brown eyes. The cat in front of her seemed older than her, and much more muscular, as did the one standing a little ways away. She was scared._

_"Iceclan territory? I'm clearly on my side of the river." _

_"Well watch where your claws take you next time, idiot." She growled, shaking out her fur. Stupidly enough, the Fireclan cat called out after her. _

_"Wait!" He said, panickedly, stepping foot forwards. She turned around. "What?" She grumped. The other cat was approaching him fast. _

_"C'mon Goldenheart, don't mess with the other territories!" _

_Goldenheart continued though. "I'm sorry for running into you. Truly, I am." _

_Confused, Whitepaw relaxed the tiniest bit. "Oh," She meowed after a while. "It's fine. What were you doing so close to the river anyways? I thought Fireclan cats didn't like being near the Iceclan border." _

_Goldenheart opened his mouth, then closed it. He seemed ashamed. "We were, uh, chasing this bird." _

_"A robin?" Whitepaw asked, remembering the bird that had flown over her head. "What kind of warrior are you if you can't see a cat two paws in front of you?" _

_The cat behind him laughed. "Goldenheart's barely a warrior. His ceremony was at sunrise today." _

_"Shut it, Oakpaw. You're just jealous I got it earlier than you." _

_Oakpaw rolled his eyes. "What's your name?" Goldenheart asked her, curious. _

_Whitepaw looked once back towards her territory. "It's Whitepaw. I'm supposed to become a warrior soon too." _

_"How come I haven't seen you at Gatherings before?" Goldenheart meowed in response, his eyes curious. Whitepaw felt uncomfortable. She wasn't about to tell a cat she didn't know, let alone a cat belonging to her clan's enemy clan, that the reason she didn't go to Gatherings is because she couldn't bear to see Fireclan. _

_"I think I'd better go. Another Iceclan warrior might come along soon who will have no problem battling two Fireclan cats." She chose to say in response. She turned to pad outside of camp, when she caught Oakpaw muttering to Goldenheart. "Isn't she... Whitekit?" _

_The last thing she heard was Goldenheart's sharp intake of shocked breath before she had disappeared into the evergreens._

* * *

Stormpaw's legs were sore from battling all afternoon, and his paws burned from skidding in the sand. The last thing he wanted to do was standing on the training patch against Rosepaw, the absolute prat, but he had no choice.

"Ready to lose?" She mewoed at him as he tiredly pawed up onto the sand yet again. He narrowed his eyes at her, but before he had the chance to say something, he heard his brother's voice.

"Yeah, Rosepaw, because you're _so good, _at losing-"

She whipped around, snarling in his direction, but Thunderpaw looked too self satisfied to care. Stormpaw cracked a grin, stretching his paws into a stance.

"I'd like to see you try, Thundepraw." She sniffed, and there was a loud scoff from behind them. Confused, Stormpaw looked over his shoulder to see Featherpaw with a stormy expression written on her face.

"Featherpaw?" Rosepaw asked, confused. "What is it?"

Featherpaw huffed. "I'm tired of your fox-dung attitude, Rosepaw, that's what it is. I'll beat you right now!" She meowed to her sister. "Stop picking on Stormpaw and Thunderpaw all the time!"

Rosepaw rose up to the challenge. "I beat you every time, Featherpaw. You're a lot weaker and you know it!"

Stormpaw cleared his throat. "You know Featherpaw, you don't have to- I mean, she's not _that _much of a threat to me." He said, and watched Rosepaw almost physically boil over in anger.

"Alright, paws, stop bickering. We'll find something else to do, you all must be pretty tired." Brightwing interrupted, swishing her tail. "Rosepaw, no warrior will ever best their enemy by boasting. You should start showing some respect to Stormpaw. He bested you with his _actions, _not his words."

Thunderpaw barreled over, laughing, as Rosepaw furiously opened her mouth to respond but thought better of it.

"Fine! But I'd like a word with my _dear _sister first!" She growled angrily at Featherpaw, who's lean frame of muscles stood tense. "Whatever you've got to say to me can be said with your claws, Rosepaw!" She snarled in response.

"What's your problem, Featherpaw?!" Rosepaw demanded. "You're acting more like a piece of fox-dung than ever before."

"If I'm a _piece_ of fox-dung, then you're the whole thing!" Featherpaw snarled, and she launched herself at Rosepaw. Stormpaw barely stumbled out of the way before the two she-cats were grappling around on the sand. Thunderpaw and him exchanged glances, sharing confusion. What was up with Featherpaw today? She was never like this.

Suddenly there was a scream, and Rosepaw broke away. Stormpaw gasped. A long, red slash stood out against her russet fur.

Featherpaw stood a little ways away, breathing heavily.

Swallowheart, Rosepaw's mentor, darted forwards. "Rosepaw! Are you alright!" Ravenfeather, Thunderpaw's mentor, closely followed, leaning over her pelt. "It's just a scratch- not deep at all." She meowed back to Brightwing.

Rainpelt, Featherpaw's mentor, seemed to snap out of her moment's shock. "Featherpaw! Why don't you go take a walk?!" She growled angrily at her apprentice. Featherpaw didn't need her to say it again- she turned on her paws and vanished into the woods at a fast run.

Rosepaw's eyes were unreadable, but it looked as if she were in pain. She stood up, leaning on Swallowheart slightly, and the two began to return to camp. Brightwing cleared her throat. "C'mon you two, it's time we get back to camp."

Without looking to see if they were following, Ravenfeather and Skywing began to pad back, muttering quietly to eachother. Stormpaw started after them.

"What just happened?" Thunderpaw meowed to Stormpaw, awe in his voice. Stormpaw just shrugged. His mind was still reeling too.

"I kind of get it. I mean, Rosepaw's annoying and bossy. But I wouldn't... I don't know. Hurt her."

Thunderpaw nodded. "It's not like her. Just yesterday she, Rosepaw, and Cloudpaw were all hunting together. What went wrong?"

Stormpaw stopped, looking back into the forest. "D'you think we should go look for her?" He asked suddenly. He couldn't explain it, but he felt bad leaving Featherpaw out in the forest all by herself.

"She'll be fine. Rainpelt will probably go after her." Thunderpaw said in response. He flicked Stormpaw's ear. "C'mon, let's hurry up."

The sun had just gone down over Fireclan, and the night was still light in color, when Featherpaw came back through camp.

Most warriors had retired to their dens, though few remained outside. Thunderpaw was still eating at the Food pile, and Stormpaw had just stood up and stretched to go back to the apprentice's den, when he spotted Featherpaw's thin frame slinking in through the camp walls.

"Thunderpaw," He meowed urgently, flicking his cheek with his tail. "Featherpaw's back."

Thunderpaw looked up almost immediately, abandoning the squirrel he had been plowing down on, something he never did. "Should we talk to her?" He murmured back, but he was stopped by the rushing of a cat from the nursery.

"Featherpaw!" Came the angry yowl, and Stormpaw winced. He recognized Embertooth, an expecting queen, at once- she was the mother of Featherpaw, Squirrelpaw, and Rosepaw, who had been in the Medicine Den since they arrived and had not left since.

Her face was scrunched up in an angry scowl, and her back was arched, dangerously.

"What did you do to Rosepaw? How could you hurt her like that?!" Embertooth spat at her daughter. Featherpaw looked up, alarm clear in her blue eyes, which were dull- a contrast to her usual brightness.

"I didn't mean to- we were just fighting-"

"Save it, Featherpaw. I don't want to hear it." She turned on her feet, ready to pad back into the Queen's den, but then turned back around, fire in her eyes. "You know what? We should've never raised you. We should've just left you in that tree hollow where we found you."

And she left.

Featherpaw's mouth was open, and she slowly closed it. She seemed frozen in place, still staring at the spot where Embertooth had vanished.

Stormpaw felt his stomach lurch, and he felt frozen to the place. Had he really just witnessed... that? Whatever that was?

A face suddenly loomed in front of him. "C'mon, you two, it's time you go into the apprentice's den. It's quite late." Brightwing said, hurriedly, ushering them away. Thunderpaw looked back at Stormpaw, and they both were clearly wondering what to do.

Stormpaw decided to take action. "Brightwing, why would Embertooth say that? What does she mean, 'hollow tree?'"

Brightwing swallowed, umcomfortable. "Thistlefur, Embertooth's mate, found Featherpaw at the Gathering tree in a hollow. He brought her to Embertooth, but Embertooth didn't like cats who came from anywhere else but Fireclan. Now that Thistlefur's gone, she just..."

"Is that why Featherpaw attacked Rosepaw? Because she was jealous?" Thunderpaw suddenly said, and Stormpaw felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He wished he had known this before. He felt horrible.

Brightwing just looked away. "It's best both of you go to sleep, and forget about this. Don't mention it to any other cats, don't talk to Featherpaw about it. Don't make this worse for them." She murmured, before she left to the warriors den.

Stormpaw and Thunderpaw fell asleep quickly after that.

Both were willing to slip into sleep to forget the horrible words that hung in the air like fog.

* * *

T**hat's the end of chapter 7- I made it a little longer to compensate for all the time I spent not uploading. Sorry about that, chapter 8 will be released soon, so keep looking for new updates! **


	8. Chapter VIII

**Hi everyone! I know I haven't posted in a month and I'm terribly sorry. My computer broke, and I've just gotten a new one today! Posting hiatus = hopefully over.**

**A guest review asked me to shout out Loverfur in the author's note and tell her she's awesome. So hi, Loverfur, whoever you are- just know you're awesome :) **

**And here's chapter 8! Thanks for sticking around for so long!**

* * *

Chapter VIII

_"Next battle... we'll do Whitepaw and Olivepaw! You two are up for a quick skills assessment." Came the voice of Olivepaw's mentor, Thistlebranch. _

_Lovepaw padded off the slab of rock, a wince obvious in her step and a couple of shallow scratches along her flank from falling on the rocky gravel one too many times. Whitepaw watched her walk towards her, passing her a grimace as if to say good luck._

_Shaking with apprehension, Whitepaw skittered onto the rock where Olivepaw stood, his chest puffed out confidently, but his face had flashed with sarcasm when he had heard Thistlebranch's announcement._

_"Her?!" He scoffed in disbelief. "You might as well have given me a twig to battle, Thistlebranch." _

_His mentor's eyes narrowed. "Olivepaw, your overconfidence is what will cause your broken leg on a battle raid. Silkpaw would have poked out your eye yesterday." _

_"So? It's _Whitepaw _we're talking about." _

_That stopped Whitepaw's anticipation with a screeching halt. Her heart sank immediately, his words crashing over her head like waves. _

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Whitepaw asked, uncertainty clear in her voice. She wished with all her heart that she could make it go away._

_Olivepaw rolled his eyes. "You're Fireclan. You're a weakling."  
_

_"Olivepaw!" Thistlebranch barked, anger alight in his eyes, as Icemelt, Whitepaw's mentor, whipped around to face him with a glare. "She's Iceclan through and through. To suggest a grudge against your own clanmate proves you aren't loyal to this clan. Iceclan won't make a warrior out of you if you can't fight with your own clan." She meowed, her voice a line of steel._

_Olivepaw shrank back, ears flat against his head. "Fine," He meowed. "This clan cares more about dog shit than it does it's own kin." _

_For a moment, everything was silent, but Whitepaw's ears buzzed dizzily. Dog shit? _

_"Olivepaw!" Growled Thistlebranch, but Whitepaw was already turning on her paws and running, her heart beating faster than a rabbit chase and growing despair tugging at her heart. She didn't know where she was going, but she ignored Lovepaw's panicked cry of "Whitepaw! Wait!" and ran._

* * *

When Stormpaw awoke to the swift jab of a claw he shot bolt upright. It was dark, but it smelled like dew and he could hear the annoying chirp of birds that he would surely catch one day. It was morning, but the clan was not awake.

He blinked his eyes tiredly to the sight of Thunderpaw standing above him, his gaze stone.

"Thunderpaw?" He asked, his voice bleary with sleep. Thunderpaw made a gesture with his tail as if to say _quiet, _and signaled out the den door.

Curious immediately, Stormpaw stood up at once, padding as silently as he could after Thunderpaw out the entrance, narrowly missing Squirrelpaw's tail.

Once in the dark morning sky, Thunderpaw turned to the dung path, the way that Stormpaw had snuck out of camp many times. Once they had reached the tunnel and were out of earshot, Stormpaw hissed to Thunderpaw.

"Thunderpaw, what's going on?"

But Thunderpaw glared at Stormpaw, as if to tell him to shut it, and Stormpaw for once decided to listen. They padded out of camp until they were somewhere in the middle of Fireclan's shadowy territory. Only then did Thunderpaw whip around, his words tumbling out like a waterfall.

"IwasbytheIceclanborderandIthinkthatthey'replanninganattackandwehavetowarnsomeone-"

"Thunderpaw, I can barely understand you- slow down!"

Thunderpaw took a deep breath, but his anticipation was clear to Stormpaw.

"I was by the Iceclan border, and I think they might be planning an attack on us."

"That's ridiculous, why would- Hey, why were you by the Iceclan border?"

Thunderpaw's eyes widened. "Er- I couldn't sleep. But I was walking by, Stormpaw, and I heard some voices, so I hid behind that big bush next to the oak tree, and I saw two warriors pass by."

Stormpaw's heart raced as he imagined the scene with his brother in his mind. "Okay... what did they say?"

"They padded right to the edge of the territory, and one of the warriors was pointing out into our territory. She was telling the other warrior that the attack would be easy to heist, since Fireclan had been defeated once before."

Stormpaw's eyes widened with panic. "No way," He breathed. "Why would Iceclan stage an attack- we've been stable with them for moons."

"I have no idea, I know they mentioned a cat, but I thought nothing of it because I'd never heard her name before. Whitebird, I think it was?"

All of a sudden, Stormpaw's world stopped spinning. His head began to piece together information like a puzzle, and when he turned to Thunderpaw, it felt as if his words came in slow motion.

"The names. What were the names of the two warriors from Iceclan, Thunderpaw?"

Thunderpaw looked at Stormpaw curiously, as if this information couldn't possibly be important.

"Olivewhisker, was the male. And the she-cat was... Lovedusk?"

Stormpaw's mind take's him back to a dark cave and a frail warrior, fighting to stay alive enough to know her own fate.

_I had a sister. Lovekit._

* * *

**End of chapter 8! **


	9. Chapter IX

** The last chapter was really short, and I apologize. Hopefully this one'll be a little longer!**

* * *

Chapter IX

_"Whitepaw... are you sure you don't want to come to the Gathering?" _

_Lovepaw's voice was hesitant, but barely hid her wanting. "It'll be fun- I know you've never gone before... but maybe this time...?"  
_

_Whitepaw looked up at her peach furred sister from over her squirrel. It was dusk, the sun was beginning to slip behind the horizon like water falling off a leaf._

_She looked away almost immediately. "I can't, Lovepaw. Especially not after what Olivepaw said. I think I should just stay at camp." _

_Lovepaw looked disappointed, but understanding at best. "Alright. I'll see you at moon-high, and I promise to tell you everything."  
_

_"Don't forget it's our warrior assessment tomorrow- don't do anything mouse brained." Whitepaw called out after her, and Lovepaw swished her tail once to let her know she had heard her before padding out of the clearing._

_And just like that, Whitepaw was alone._

_The few warriors who had chosen to stay behind retired to their dens, the strongest willed insomniacs staying by the entrance of Iceclan's camp to keep watch._

_Whitepaw looked around. The foodpile looked quite low. She supposed she could go and try hunting for a while. _

_She did just that, nodding at the warrior at the front as a way to say she'd be back soon, and walked into the forest of ever greens. Pine immediately filled her nose, an overpowering scent that comforted her, somehow._

_Whitepaw dropped immediately into hunter mode, tuning out the scent of the trees and focusing on the smells of animal trace around her. After padding silently for a while, she picked up the faint scent of a bird. _

_A bird. Always an impressive catch for the cats of Iceclan. _

_She followed it, the scent getting more powering with each pawstep she took. It brought her to a familiar path leading to the icy river that framed the border that passed between the territories of Fireclan and Iceclan. _

_Her mind lost in thought, she almost missed the sight of a large, fat quail pecking at a branch high up in a spotted tree._

_Her claws unsheathed with anticipation, and she started to sneak up near the tree. The branch the quail had chosen to rest on was dangerously close to the ground. Within her reach, if she could get it with a single jump- _

_Stupidly, her paws crushed a fresh pinecone on the ground, and the quail perked up immediately, spotted Whitepaw, and flapped away, squawking. _

_She cursed openly in the air- interrupted by an amused laugh from behind her._

_Immediately alert, she spun around and sprung, teeth bared, onto the golden Fireclan cat who was on the bank of the river, pinning him down to the ground, though she was much less muscular than he._

_Surprise was always the strongest factor in any battle._

_The cat immediately rolled out from under her, and only then did Whitepaw recognize the tom._

_Goldenheart. She had met him, days before._

_"What'd you think you're doing on Iceclan territory?" She said in what she hoped was a voice full of authority, but it came out with much more curiosity than she had ever intended._

_"Watching you catch birds. Or, I should say, watching you fail. Honestly, birds are idiots. They're an easy catch, how'd you even mess that up?" _

_Annoyed, Whitebird rolled her eyes. "Okay then. You know they don't call me _White_paw for nothing. Maybe it's got something to do with that." She retorted sarcastically, surprised when he puffed out a laugh. _

_"I'd like to see you try that." She meowed again. _

_Goldenheart shook out his fur. "Alright, watch and learn, apprentice." _

_"I can go call some real Iceclan warriors with one yowl, so you'd better watch what you say." _

_"Why aren't _you_ attacking me?" He said in response to that._

_Whitepaw tilted her head. Why hadn't she chased Goldenheart off her territory? _

_It's not like he had attacked her. Or tried to invade. He appeared to be on his own. And with Olivepaw's recent comments, she didn't feel like being loyal to a clan that'd never be loyal to her. It's not like she was doing anything wrong, after all..._

_"You're not intimidated by me." She chose to say carefully in response. "What's the point?" _

_He looked at her then, something foreign in his expression. She held his gaze like a challenge, before he looked away and dropped to the ground._

_The quail she had chosen to try and hunt had relocated itself on a grassy patch nearby, far enough for it to feel safe from Whitepaw's bright white figure, but easy to go after again._

_Which is what Goldenheart had started to do. As to not disturb the quail, Whitepaw chose to stay by the water._

_Goldenheart snuck forwards. He looked effortless, she doubted it was skill and proposed it was just him showing off instead. _

_When he was close enough to lunge, the bird showed no will to fly away. She watched his muscles bunch up like a spring, and with one leap, he pounced on the bird. It was dead within seconds. _

_He padded back with it in it's jaws, looking triumphant. Whitepaw was annoyed. She should have kicked a rock or something, stop him from getting the kill._

_He dropped it at her feet._

_"Alright, show off." She meowed, grudgingly. "Now get off my territory. Don't be coming back here. You can't go where you please. Just cause I'm not interested in fighting- my entire clan is." _

_He grinned as he stepped onto the other side. "We'll see about that."_

* * *

Stormpaw's mind raced a million miles per hour as he processed the information that Thunderpaw had told him. He had decided then to tell his brother the story he hadn't yet heard- of two Fireclan kits who were kidnapped and brought to Iceclan, how one escaped back to Fireclan and murdered the leader, Goldenstar.

Thunderpaw listened intently. They decided to not do anything right now, because it could just be talk.

"We should try to go to the next gathering together." Thunderpaw had said. "That way, we can see if there's anything suspicious going on."

Stormpaw nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. When's the next gathering?"

"In a couple of nights."

"That's perfect."

"Hey, Stormpaw?" Thunderpaw began. "Are you sure we shouldn't tell anyone about this, like Leopardstar? Or even the other apprentices or our mentors or just _some cat-" _

Stormpaw immediately shook his head. "What if it's nothing? What if it was just two random Iceclan warriors talking?"

He began to pad back to the familiar route that would lead back to the dung entrance. The sky was significantly brighter than before and the sun was beginning to peak over the hills.

"But it's _not _two random warriors. Lovedusk is Whitebird's sister. It makes sense she'd want to stage an attack to return her sister to her."

"What do you mean?" Stormpaw frowned at him.

"C'mon. If you were being held hostage by another clan, I'd stage all the attacks in the world to save you."

"But it's different. I've heard that they both fought before she..." He swallowed, looking away. "_Killed_ Goldenstar."

"But they're still kin." Thunderpaw replied, following after him through the vegetation of leafy trees.

"I guess we'll just have to look out for now then." Stormpaw said, and the two raced back to camp, lost in thoughts.

* * *

_"From this day on, you will be known as warriors of Iceclan." _

_"Whitebird! Lovedusk! Whitebird! Lovedusk!" _

_The chants of the overly rambunctious yowls from the camp followed her and her sister, as they sat side to side- pale white fur against peachy silver. She felt proud, and that pride was washing away the small amount of despair she kept locked up in her heart. Her sister mirrored her expression, staring at the clan with happiness radiating from her posture._

_They took their stand at the arch of brambles and stone slabs that led into the shadowed base of Iceclan's camp as night fell and the warriors retired to their den._

_Only once the camp was silent with sleep did Lovedusk turn to her._

_"We're warriors now! Can you believe it?!" _

_Whitebird grinned, waving her tail. "Shut up, Lovedusk. You'll wake the entire clan." _

_Lovedusk hopped up and down. "But still, we can go out by ourselves, and go to gatherings, and hunt... oh! We're going to have apprentices!" _

_"Apprentices? C'mon, Lovedusk. We were just awarded our warrior titles." _

_"I know." She sighed happily, dropping into a sitting position at the entrance. "It's just so exciting and I want to do everything." _

_Whitebird looked out over the sleeping camp, then at Lovedusk. Hesitantly, she began to speak.  
_

_"I wish that Peachflower could see us, Lovedusk." Her voice was a whisper, in case anyone overheard her soft voice.  
_

_Lovedusk looked up immediately, staring at her sister with an unrecognizable expression clear on her face._

_Whitebird looked down, ashamed. "I know you don't feel that way, and that you don't remember much about where we were born. But I remember our mother, and I remember that night. I can never stop seeing that night- wether I close my eyes or not-"  
_

_"Whitebird." Lovedusk interrupted, her voice full of an unnamed emotion. "I would want her to see me too." _

_Whitebird blinked, surprised. She didn't know Lovedusk as much as cared for the cats and kin they had left behind, wether it was forefull or not._

_Lovdusk swallowed. "I know being here hasn't been easy for you. Just because I always turned a blind eye and tried to not speak against it and tried to adapt here... doesn't mean I ever didn't know how you were feeling. _

_I just want you to know, no matter what happens, I love you." _

_"I love you too, Lovedusk. More than you may know." _

_Lovedusk smiled. "Enough to kill some cat for me?" She joked._

_Whitebird rolled her eyes. "Alright, let's calm down with the love talk for now." _

_They sat side by side throughout the chilly night, Iceclan sleeping peacefully behind them._

* * *

**There's the end of chapter 9! I tried to make it a little longer, so I hoped you enjoyed! Leave theories and reviews in the review section below please! **

**\- Pluto**


	10. Chapter X

Chapter X

* * *

"From this day on, you shall be known as Rosefur." Rosepaw, now Rosefur, struts haughtily to sit by Cloudrain at the edge of the clearing. Featherpaw knows deep inside that her sister is just proud, no matter how she chooses to show it.

She looks back towards the clan once, searching. Searching for Embertooth, who had stayed and cheered for Squirreltail and now Rosefur. Instead, she was met with the sight of her rear as it padded silently away from the group and into the warriors den.

She knew she wasn't the only one who saw it. A slight murmur ran through the crowd like wind through the long grass that grew on Lightclan's territory.

Swallowing she looked away, determined to only look at Leopardstar's face and not focus on anything else. This was _her _warrior ceremony. What did she care that Embertooth didn't want to stick around to see?

Even thinking the words made her feel like she was swallowing a stone.

"Featherpaw," Leopardstar began, and the clan fell silent at once. "You have trained like your brother and sister, hard to prove your loyalty to this clan."

Featherpaw readied herself to walk forwards- but Leopardstar continued to speak, confusing her.

"Thistlefur brought you into this clan, it is true. But whatever small doubts the cats of Fireclan had were vanished as you grew, and as you worked just as hard as any Fireclan cat. There is no other warrior we would rather replace with you."

Her heartbeat thudded in her own ears, feeling incredibly self-conscious. _Thistlefur. _

Everything about him was genuine. She had believed he was her own father. He brought her out to the river when she was a kit so she could play in the water, because she loved the cold feeling whilst the other cats thought it was strange. He rolled balls of moss for her, Cloudrain, and Rosefur to play with. He played with them while their mother... _tolerated _them.

And then he was gone.

And then Embertooth had told her she wasn't theirs.

And then she had never been the same.

"Featherpaw, you have truly flown above- and for that, you shall be known as Featherflight, so no cat will forget."

Frozen in shock, she barely manages to pad over and touch noses with Leopardstar. It feels surreal. Like a big joke that she doesn't understand. But when she walks over to see the wide grins of her siblings, she lets out a tentative smile too.

"_Cloudrain! Rosefur! Featherflight!"_

She looks over the cats. Her eyes pass over Stormpaw, and her heart skips a beat. She doesn't know why.

Swallowing, she let the cheers of a clan she had felt she never belonged to drown her ears in sound.

* * *

Stormpaw's mind raced and his heart beat furiously with stress. So furiously, that he thought the rabbit perched on the edge of his territory would hear him and run away, and lose him precious points for his warrior assessment.

But, _thank Starclan, _his heart remained firmly inside of his chest. He snuck up on the rabbit. Moons of experience in hunting, flowed through his mind. He was always better at hunting than battling, so he wasn't too worried about this part of the assessment.

However, rabbits usually involved a chase. Without a wide, dry land like Lightclan's territory, Fireclan's thick vegetation made it hard to catch the fast prey.

He stopped, bunched his muscles, and leaped onto the rabbit. He missed by an inch, stunning the rabbit, but turned on his paws immediately to catch the rabbit in his jaws with a killing blow before it realized that it needed to run.

Stormpaw padded back into the forest with the rabbit, chest puffed proudly, as Brightwing emerged from the shadows. "That was great, Stormpaw! You had a perfect leaping position, even though you missed just the tiniest bit. I've seen you do better anyways, so it's not a huge deal."

Stormpaw nodded. "Can I eat this before we meet up with Thunderpaw?" He asked hopefully. Brightwing sighed. "Fine, but quick- and bury those bones once you're done."

Moments later he was meeting his brother and his mentor at the bank of the river. Thunderpaw had caught a massive bird for his warrior assessment- and his chest was puffed with pride when they approached. Bird's were always a hard catch for Thunderpaw, so he was glad he felt that way.

Stormpaw still wasn't focused quite clearly on his assessment. It kept flitting back and forth from Whitebird, Lovedusk, and Goldenstar's alleged murder. He knew there was something wrong from the start- and he needed to find out what it was. Especially if Iceclan really _was _planning to attack.

The thoughts still plagued his mind when the sun had fallen and Leopardstar was rounding up all the cats for The Gathering. Thunderpaw had faked a stomach ache, so that Stormpaw would have a reason to want to stay behind. They waited in silence, watching as most cats left camp, the few warriors and queens retired into the dens, and the lookouts took place by the entrance.

"Alright," Stormpaw whispered to Thunderpaw. "It's time to go."

The two cats snuck out from behind the secret exit, running through the forest towards Iceclan territory. Tonight, they would find answers.


End file.
